Paramore owes Josh Farro a huge debt. Not for his years of service in the band, but for drawing attention to a band that had lost a considerable amount of attention since they made a big splash with Riot!. If Farro hadn’t have launched a hateful diatribe the day after he left the band, then half the people that care about this album, wouldn’t. Everything’s an angle, even the fact that your angle was a lie can be a story. A few people who were naive to the whole thing built the attention up to what it is today; it’s overstated. So, getting to Paramore’s new self-titled album, let’s avoid any comeback or back from the dead talk. As long as Hayley Williams is in Paramore, there will be a Paramore. This is just an album. It also happens to be a really good album.

Paramore’s new album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen, he also worked with Neon Trees and he’s great at setting up atmosphere and creating a great mood for an album. He did that here too. His production is brilliant on the ukelele shorts and on the giant rock anthems. Songwriting from the group, sometimes paired with (Meldal-Johnsen) is the only thing that’s better than the production. It’s Paramore’s most ambitious group of songs. They have great melodies, but they also stand out as Paramore’s own. Albums past had some uninspired moments, the new album has none. Hayley Williams is better than she’s ever been vocally too. She’s always been good. On this new album, she’s REALLY good.

Paramore’s new album is their best and they did it without their original lineup. But honestly, the slimming down of that lineup was the best thing that could have happened. It allows them to fit better into the pop genre. With this album, they do that best. Go listen to this one now, it’s worth all of the attention that it will get.